Refuse press



April 5, 9 j 'J. A. MARASCO 3,43 ,322

7 REFUSE PRESS Filed Feb. 8,1967 u Sheet I INVENTOR. Jase 972 14. fiazasc'a BY April 15, 1969 J. A. MARAHSICO 3,

REFUSE PRE S United States Patent Office 3,438,322 Patented Apr. 15, 1969 US. Cl. 100--233 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention provides a press device for compressing refuse in a disposable container so that both the refuse and the container can be disposed of. In the press device, the disposable container is held inside of a permanent container by a hoop clamp which clamps the top edge of the disposable container to the permanent container. The containers are filled with loose refuse, such as leaves, grass, papers, etc. A compressor structure including a plunger and piston is then moved downward in the containers to compress the refuse. The compressor structure may further include a lever pivotally connected to a frame, with the plunger and piston being attached to the lever. The permanent container may have a funnel-like extension at the top thereof, the bottom of the extension being clamped to the permanent container by the same hoop which clamps the disposable container. A second hoop may be provided to brace the top end of the extension, and the two hoops may have a common fastener for tightening them.

Background of the invention How many times has it been said: I would like to rake the leaves, but I have no way to dispose of them. There is an ordinance prohibiting the burning of leaves, and I do not have enough containers to hold all of them. If I leave the leaves in a pile they will be blown back over the yard.

Thus, there has for some time been a need for a simple and reliable device that would prepare leaves, grass, loose paper or other refuse for convenient disposal. Devices for compressing products such as tobacco, hay and other things have been proposed. Although it is helpful to compress refuse so that it takes up less space, this solves only part of the problem since it still must be disposed of. It must be held together somehow after it has been compressed in order to dispose of it. Baling techniques are not readily applicable to refuse like leaves, grass and loose paper.

Summary of the invention The present invention provides a refuse press which not only compresses refuse but also places it in a disposa ble container such as a plastic or paper bag so that the container [filled with the refuse can be disposed of easily such as by the usual municipal refuse pickup service. The refuse press is of the type in which there is a permanent container and a compressor structurer movable relative to the container to compress refuse therein. In accordance with the invention, a disposable container is provided which nests inside the permanent container and has an opening at the top end thereof for receiving refuse. The top edge of the disposable container is folded over the top edge of the permanent container, and a clamp is provided for releasably clamping the folded over edge of the disposable container to the permanent container. The clamp may be a metal hoop which is tightened around the containers by means of a suitable fastening device. The compressor structure of the press may include a plunger carrying a piston which fits loosely in the containers and which is movable axially of the containers to compress refuse therein. The compressor may also include a lever which is pivotally attached to a frame for the press, the piston and plunger being attached to the lever so that when the lever is lowered, the piston and plunger are lowered inside of the containers. A funnel-like extension of the permanent container may be provided at the top of the container, and it may be fastened to the permanent container by the same hoop that fastens the disposable container. When the disposable container contains a full load of compressed refuse, it is simply removed from the permanent container and a fresh disposable container is placed in the permanent container.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refuse press which compresses refuse to reduce the bulk thereof and at the same time bags the refuse to permit convenient disposal thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a refuse press in which a flexible disposable container is placed inside of a permanent container so as to allow filling of both containers from the top, the disposable containerbeing removable from the permanent container when it is fully loaded with refuse.

A further object of the invention is to provide a refuse press with a simple and reliable compressor structure which can be lowered into the containers of the press to compress refuse therein and which can be raised to clear the containers to permit removal of the disposable container and replacement thereof with a fresh disposable container.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification parts in the several views.

0n the drawings FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a refuse press in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the refuse press showing the compressor structure thereof in these different positions;

FIGURE 3 is an plan view of a clamp for clamping a disposable bag to a permanent container at the top edge thereof; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view showing part of a lever and a spring which biases the lever to a raised position.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

As shown on the drawings The refuse press 10 of FIGURE 1 may be operated to compress leaves, for example, by pushing a compressor structure 12 including a piston 14 down into a permanent container 16 which has a flexible, disposable container of liner inside thereof. The press device 10 includes a frame 18 made up of three horizontal angle irons 20, 22 and 24 fastened together at their ends as by welding into a triangular pattern. The frame further includes an upright corner member 26, and two diagonal angle irons 2'8 and 30 fastened to the corner member 26 at one end and fastened to opposite ends of the angle iron 22 as shown in the drawing.

The permanent container 16 may be a metal can such as those commonly used as garbage cans, and it is received within the opening formed by the triangularly arranged angle irons 20, 22 and 24. The permanent container 16 has a closed bottom wall and is open at its top end. A funnel-like extension 32 of the can 16 may be provided extending upward and outward from the top end of the can as shown in FIGURE 1. This funnel-like extension may be made of canvas or other suitable material, and it may be braced by means of two hoops, 34 and 36 one at its top end and one at its bottom end, the hoops 34 and 36 being visible in FIGURES 1 and 2. The material of the extension 32 may be wrapped around the hoops and sewn to itself to hold the hoops in place. Only the top edge 52 of the disposable container which fits down inside of can 16 is visible in FIGURE 1, but the remainder 50 of the disposable container is shown in dashed lines in FIGURE 2.

The compressor structure 12 includes a lever 38 which is pivotally attached to the upper end of the corner member 26 of the frame 18. The pivot member may be a nut 39 and bolt 40 secured to member 26. The lever 38 has a handle 42 which may be grasped by the operator as shown to raise and lower the lever.

A plunger 44 is pivotally attached by a pivot pin 46 to the lever 38 at approximately the mid-point thereof, and the plunger 44 carries the piston 14 at its lower end. As the lever 38 is lowered, it pushes the plunger 44 and piston 14 into the can 16, and the piston fits loosely in the can so that it will compress the refuse 46 in the can and also in the disposable container 50 which fits inside of can 16. The lever 38 may be raised to permit additional refuse to be put into the containers and also to permit removal of a full disposable container and replacement thereof with a fresh disposable container.

The compressor structure 12 including the lever 38, the plunger 44 and the piston 14 is shown in three different positions in FIGURE 2. These different positions are denoted by the letters A, B and C following the appropriate reference numerals. When the compressor structure is in its A position, the piston 14A is located within the can 16, and the lever 38A is located at an angle below its horizontal position. In the B position of the compressor structure, the piston 14B is located at the top of the can 16 and the handle 38B is located at an angle abovethe horizontal position. In the C position, the piston 14C is raised clear of the can 16 and the handle 38C is raised upward and extends approximately at a 45 angle relative to the horizontal position. It is clear that the piston 14 follows a curved path as the handle 38 is lowered and raised, but that portion of the path between positions 14A and 14B is almost wholly vertical so that there is no difiiculty in lowering and raising the piston 14B within the can 16.

Referring to FIGURE 2, it may be seen that the disposable container 50 fits within the permanent container 16 like a liner, and so its capacity is substantially the same as the permanent container 16. The top edge of the disposable container 50 is folded over the top edge of permanent container 16 so that the top edge 52 of the disposable container is available on the outside of the permanent container. This top edge portion 52 of container 50 is held in place by a hoop clamp 36 which encircles the top edges of the containers. The clamp 36 is the same hoop as that which fastens the lower end of the funnel-like extension 32 to the permanent container 16. The other hoop 34 extends at an angle relative to the top edge of the containers, and at the upper right end of the hoop 34, as viewed in FIGURE 2, the hoop is slipped over a hook 54 which holds the hoop 34 in place.

There is a fastening device which is common to both of the hoops 34 and 36, and the fastening device 56 is shown in FIGURE 3. The fastening device 56 includes a plate 58 to which the two hoops 34 and 36 are fastened as by folded over flanges 59 of the plate. The plate has a hook at 60, and a buckle 62 receives the hook 60 and is fastened to another plate 64 at the other side of the fastener. The buckle 62 is pivotally connected at pin 63 to a latch 66 which can be raised and lowered to free the buckle 62 from the hook 60. The latch 66 is pivoted on a pin 67 which extends through upturned portions of plate 64. The other ends of the two hoops are fastened to the plate 64 as by folded over flanges on the plate. Thus, the fastener device is a quick-release type of fastener which can be conveniently actuated to release the disposable container 50 from the hoop 36 so that the disposable container can be removed from the can 16.

As shown in FIGURE 4, two torsion springs 70 are provided at the pivot pin 40 where the handle 38 is pivoted to the corner member 26. Each torsion spring 70 includes a bent end portion 72 which engages the handle 38 and another end portion 74 which engages the corner member 2 6. As the lever 38 is depressed, the torsion springs 70 are wound up and tend to urge the handle back towards its raised position as shown at 38C in FIGURE 2. When the lever 38 is in position C, the torsion spring 70 is not in tension.

It is evident from the foregoing description that the invention provides a refuse press capable of compressing refuse into a disposable container in a quick and convenient manner. The refuse press itself is not complex, and it is reliable in operation. It offers a practical solution to the problems of conveniently disposing of refuse such as leaves, grass, paper, etc.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A press device for compressing refuse in disposable containers, said device including in combination a frame, a permanent container received in an upright position in said frame with an opening at the top end of said container, a disposable container fabricated of flexible material received in nested relation within said permanent container and open at the same end as said permanent container, the top edge portion of said disposable container being folded over the top edge of said peranent container, means releasably clamping said folded-over edge of said disposable container to said permanent container, a funnel-like vertical extension at the top end of said permanent container, said extension having an opening of larger size than the opening in the permanent container and tapering to an opening into the permanent container of the same size as the opening in the permanent container, said extension adapted to receive an uncompressed load of refuse and to funnel said load into the disposable container upon application of a compressor, a compressor fitting loosely in said containers and adapted to compress refuse when provided in said containers, means connecting said compressor to said frame for movement of said compressor substantially axially of said containers, and an actuator for said compressor adapted to lower said compressor into said containers, said disposable container being adapted to be removed from said permanent container with compressed refuse material therein.

2. The press device as claimed in claim 1 in which said means releasably clamping said folded-over edge of said disposable container to said permanent container comprises a hoop which encircles the bottom of said funnellike extension as well as said folded over portion of said disposable container and clamps the same to said permanent container.

3. The press device as claimed in claim 2 in which said hoop is provided with a quick-release buckle clamp for rapidly clamping and unclamping said hoop relative to said permanent container.

4. The press device as claimed in claim 3 in which a second hoop is provided encircling the top end of said funnel-like member and bracing the same.

5. The press device as claimed in claim 4 in which said clamp also serves to clamp and unclamp said second hoop.

6. The press device as claimed in claim 1, in which said funnel-like vertical extension is fabricated of a flexible material.

7. A press device for compressing refuse in disposable containers, said device including in combination a frame,

a permanent container received in an upright position in said frame with an opening at the top end of said container, a disposable container received in nested relation within said permanent container and having an open end overlapping the open end of said permanent container on the outside thereof, a first hoop for clamping the overlapping portions of said disposable container to the open end of said permanent container, a funnel providing an upward extension of said permanent container, said first hoop also serving to clamp the lower end of said funnel to the open end of said permanent container, a second hoop encircling the top end of said funnel and providing a brace for supporting the same, a plunger having a piston thereon fitting loosely in said containers and adapted to compress refuse when placed in said containers, means connecting said plunger to said frame for movement of said plunger substantially axially of said containers, and an actuator for said plunger and piston adapted to be depressed to lower said plunger and piston into said containers, said plunger and piston having a raised position clearing said container to permit removal of said disposable container from said permanent contained with a load of refuse in said disposable container and allowing a fresh disposable container to be inserted into said permanent container.

8. The press device as claimed in claim 7 in which said connecting means and said actuator are portions of a lever pivotally connected to said frame and movable to move said plunger and piston.

9. The press device as claimed in claim 8 in which said hoops have a common fastening device for holding the same in place.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 26,546 12/1859 Chichester 141- 80 XR 50,199 9/1865 Armington 100-266 291,683 1/1884 Chapman 53124 XR 358,375 2/1887 Billings 100-229 XR 370,488 9/1887 Mitchell 141-80 XR 2,970,533 2/1961 Allen. 2,984,957 5/1961 Lundgren 53-124 FOREIGN PATENTS 106,308 1/ 1939 Australia. 954,462 3/ 1965 Great Britain.

BILLY J. WILHITE, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

